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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24703003">Kids Playing Cards</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBajaBlast/pseuds/TheBajaBlast'>TheBajaBlast</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Character Study, F/F</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 10:00:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,512</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24703003</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBajaBlast/pseuds/TheBajaBlast</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Why don't we make this more interesting?" Azula cooed. </p><p>Every instinct in Suki's body told her that this was a trap - nothing good would result in playing cards with her captor, the Fire Nation's crown princess. However, she also couldn't shake the feeling that she didn't have a choice in this matter. And maybe through their game, the enemy girls may find some common ground. </p><p>Tyzula</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Azula &amp; Suki (Avatar), Azula &amp; Ty Lee (Avatar), Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>265</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1: Aces</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Chapter 1: Aces</strong>
</p>
<hr/><p>"I don't suppose you play cards?"</p><p>Suki groans as the voice echos through her cell. Great. <em>Her again. </em><br/>
<br/>
The Kyoshi Warrior had spent the last few hours laying on her back and repeatedly counting how many bolts there were in her small cell's ceiling. She lets out a long sigh and turns her head to glance at the Fire Nation's crown princess. Her captor's auburn lips twist into a smug smile that Suki was all-too-familiar with, despite only being a prisoner for less than a week.</p><p>In that week, Azula had separated her from the rest of her warriors, stripped her of her uniform, and interrogated her for information. Suki hadn't planned on telling her <em>anything.</em> She didn't care what the fire nation would do to her, she wouldn't speak. However, the princess made it explicitly clear that the lives of her fellow warriors depended on her cooperation, and while Suki didn't care about her own life, the lives of her fellow warriors were a different story. She wasn't about to sacrifice them. </p><p>Since then, Azula visited her regularly. Usually to taunt her about her imprisonment.</p><p>"Come on," the princess continues, "I know quite a few. Mao, Omashu Blitz..."</p><p>"Not interested," Suki turns herself around so she doesn't have to look at her captor.</p><p>"Suit yourself," Azula laughs, "I thought you'd be desperate for an opportunity to do something other than count ceiling bolts. How many are there again? 32?"</p><p>"33." Suki corrects without even meaning too.</p><p>"And don't you hate that you know that?"</p><p>Suki clenches her fists and takes a deep breath. <em>Fine.</em> She sits herself up and turns to face the princess. A moment of silence goes by as Suki glares at the at Azula. Her captor's watchful golden eyes gazed back at her - almost like they were challenging her to engage. As much as she wants to be left alone, she had a feeling that wasn't going to happen any time soon. Besides, Azula was right - counting ceiling bolts had lost its charm a long time ago.</p><p>Suki pushes herself off the bed and takes a cautious step forward.</p><p>"Suppose I agree. We play cards. What do you get out of it?"</p><p>"You're not the only one who's bored out of your skull," Azula states, "guarding you is about as interesting as watching paint dry."</p><p>"Oh, poor you," Suki layers her voice with as much sarcasm as she can muster. She tenses as she sees the firebender's smile grow - that probably wasn't a good sign for her. She carefully watches as her captor pulls a small deck of cards from her pocket. The cards are a sleek, bright ruby red, and labeled with the Fire Nation's emblem. Suki watches as Azula starts to shuffle them.</p><p>"Why don't we make this a little more...<em>interesting</em>?" the princess says. Suki sighs. She didn't like the way Azula emphasized interesting.</p><p>"...Interesting how?"</p><p>Azula reaches into a pouch on her belt and pulls out a small bag of...something.</p><p>"If you win, I'll give you this bag of fire-flakes," the princess offers, "Have you had them before? They're a Fire-Nation delicacy. I also heard that they are the most valuable contraband at Boiling Rock - which is where you're being sent."</p><p>Suki stares at the bag. This felt like a trap. "And what do you get if you win?" she asks, coldly, "you've already gotten all the information you need out of me." The princess thinks for a moment, before shrugging her shoulders.</p><p>"The satisfaction of my victory is enough for me," Azula sits down, and sets the cards and pouch between the cell's bars, and onto the ground, "As an added advantage, you can even pick what we play. You can even pick a game I don't know, I won't mind."</p><p>Suki sighs. Every instinct in her body told her that this was a trap - nothing good would result in playing cards with the Fire Nation princess. Still, she had a feeling she didn't have a choice in the matter. It'd probably be less painful to go along with it.</p><p>Besides, it was better than counting ceiling bolts.</p><p>"Have you ever played War?" Suki asks, cautiously walking towards the princess.</p><p>"It's all I've ever known," Azula smirks, "though, I'm assuming the 'War' you're referring to is a card game."</p><p>Suki nods and slowly sits down opposite of the princess. She carefully reaches her hand out to grab the deck.</p><p>"May I?"</p><p>"Be my guest."</p><p>Suki deals the cards and stops when she has two even piles. She passes one along to Azula.</p><p>"It's really easy. Keep your deck face down so you can't see your cards," Suki instructs, "At the same time, we'll both reveal the top card of our deck. Whoever's card ranks highest keep the cards, and puts them at the bottom of their deck."</p><p>"I'm guessing we keep playing until someone has the whole deck?"</p><p>"Whoever has all the cards at the end, wins."</p><p>"What happens if the cards rank the same?"</p><p>Suki smiles, "Then we have a war. We both draw three more cards, keeping them face down. Then we draw one more card, face up - highest ranking card takes the pile."</p><p>Azula nods, taking the information in, and Suki couldn't help but notice that her captor's cold eyes lit up with a playful glint - almost childlike, "Well, that's easy!" the princess exclaims, "Come on, let's play."</p><p>And so they did.</p><p>First draw: 3 and 2 - Suki takes the cards. Second draw: 6 and 9 - Azula takes the cards. Third draw - 4 and a Queen - Azula takes the cards. The firebender laughs.</p><p>"Don't get ahead of yourself," Suki said.</p><p>"I wouldn't dream of it," Azula smiled back.</p><p>Fourth Draw: 7 and 3 - Suki takes the cards. Fifth Draw: a Jack and an Ace.</p><p>"Do aces rank higher or lower than royalty?" Azula asked.</p><p>"Higher."</p><p>"Excellent."</p><p>The princess takes her cards.</p><p>Sixth draw: an 8 and an 8.</p><p>"War!" Both girls exclaimed. They quickly deal their extra cards, revealing the top: two kings.</p><p>"What happens if it's the same again?" Azula asks</p><p>"Than the Hundred-Year-War continues."</p><p>The girls add more cards to the pile before revealing the top: an Ace and a 3.</p><p>"Victory!" Suki exclaims and takes her cards. Azula scowls.</p><p>"You may have won the battle, but the game's still on."</p><p>The girls keep drawing cards, and Suki can't hold back her smile as she watches Azula's deck gets smaller and smaller. The game starts to near its end, and Suki's victory was imminent.</p><p>The thirty-second draw: 7 and 2 - Suki takes her cards. Azula scoffs, and Suki notices the childlike pout on the princess's face. She bit her lip, eyes flickering between the two decks. There was something different about the fire-bender. She no longer gave off the air of a war-hardened fighter. Instead, she was just a kid playing a card game.</p><p>They both were.</p><p>Suki couldn't help but wonder...how old was the princess? It never occurred to her that her captor - the ruthless warrior who had bested the famed Kyoshi Warriors in combat was most likely younger than her. Looking at her now, and how entranced she was in her card game, she reminded Suki of some of the younger warriors in her group.</p><p>"Can I ask you something?" Suki inquires.</p><p>"You just did."</p><p>Thirty-third draw: 7 and 8 - Azula takes the cards.</p><p>"You said that guarding me was boring, but... why are you even guarding me? There are soldiers everywhere, surely the crown-princess can order one of them to watch over me, right?"</p><p>Thirty-forth draw: 10 and 4 - Suki takes the cards.</p><p>"It's too much of a risk."</p><p>"What, afraid I'm gonna break out?"</p><p>Thirty-fifth draw: 9 and 6 - Suki takes the cards.</p><p>"Of course not," Azula scoffs - three cards were left in her hand, "These cages are designed to contain the greatest benders in the world. A non-bender like you escaping is about as likely as wooly-pigs flying."</p><p>Thirty-sixth draw: an Ace and a Jack - Suki takes the cards.</p><p>"So you think someone might try and rescue me?" Suki says. She kept her eyes steady on Azula's face, trying to get a read on the princess. She squints at her small deck before her eyes flicker back to meet Suki's.</p><p>"Do you think someone will come for you?"</p><p>"Sokka," Suki states, though it was a bluff. Sokka probably didn't know she had been captured yet. How could he? Suki highly doubted Azula had publicized the Kyoshi Warrior's capture. While she had no doubt that news of her defeat would get to him eventually, who knew where she would be by that point.</p><p>Still, though, in her heart...she couldn't shake the feeling he'd come for her. Was it wishful thinking? Probably. Still, against her better judgment, she was hopeful.</p><p>"Sokka," Azula repeated the name, "Is that your boyfriend?"</p><p>"Something like that."</p><p>Thirty-seventh draw: 4 and 7 - Azula takes the cards.</p><p>"You're being held in heavily guarded, heavily armed, fire-nation encampment. Forgive me if I'm not worried about some dumb boy trying to save his lady-love."</p><p>Thirty-eighth draw: a Queen and an 8 - Suki takes the cards.</p><p>"So why have you taken it upon yourself to personally guard me?"</p><p>Azula shrugs, looking at her dwindled deck of two cards.</p><p>"The fire nation prides itself on honor," she explains, "I'd...heard rumors that a group of soldiers here have acted dishonorably towards female prisoners in the past. I won't allow it to happen on my watch."</p><p>Suki pauses, trying to process the information. Azula, the demented princess who a week prior, mercilessly defeated them. The cruel firebender who had coaxed information out of her by threatening the lives of the other Kyoshi Warriors. Azula, who'd made it a point to come and taunt her every day since her capture...was guarding her against the other soldiers.</p><p>"You're…protecting me?"</p><p>Azula rolls her eyes and scoffs, "Please, I couldn't care less if you lived or died. The only thing I'm protecting is the honor of the Fire Nation."</p><p>Suki nods, "...I see."</p><p>That's when it occurred to her - the other warriors. While she had been kept away from them, she knew they were being kept somewhere else on the base. Where they in danger? Was it too late?</p><p>"Ty Lee and Mai are guarding your warriors on my personal orders," Azula states before Suki can ask. Suki doesn't even notice she sighs in relief. At least she had some assurance that her warriors would maintain some dignity through this ordeal.</p><p>Still, it was odd. Even before her capture, she had heard the rumors of the crown princess's cruelty. A cold-blooded firebender who loved nothing more than causing anguish to those who opposed her. Suki had faced that cruelty first hand.</p><p>Even monsters have their limits, she supposed.</p><p>"Ty Lee...she's the bubbly pink one, right?"</p><p>Azula nods, "Why do you ask?"</p><p>"She's your girlfriend, right?"</p><p>"What?" Azula hisses. Her eyes dart up at her prisoner, and the cards slip from her hands. Suki smirks, noticing the pink flush that started to form around the firebender's cheeks. She seems to have touched a nerve. <em>Interesting.</em></p><p>"I'm just making small talk," Suki shrugs. She briefly debates if prodding Azula about her love-life was a rabbit-hole she wanted to go down. After all, as civil as this card game had been, she was still at Azula's mercy. Then again, it wasn't as if she had much more to lose. Besides, causing the princess to lose her steely composure, even just a little bit, was a victory in itself. "I've seen the way she looks at you, you know."</p><p>"She admires me is all," Azula shrugs, "I'm the crown-princess, I have plenty of admirers."</p><p>Suki smirks. <em>Sure.</em> "I've seen the way you look at her too."</p><p>The princess's face became redder, "Ty Lee is a talented warrior and a skilled acrobat..."</p><p>"And she's really cute."</p><p>"Don't interrupt me!" The princess demands. It was all Suki could do to keep from laughing at her outburst. The princess took a deep breath before continuing, "As I was saying - Ty Lee is a valuable asset to my plans, nothing more."</p><p>"Then why are you blushing?"</p><p>"Because pointless questions agitate me!"</p><p>"Fine, fine," Suki smirks, "for what it's worth, I think two would be a cute couple." She locks eyes with the firebender, who quickly shifts her gaze back to the two cards in her hand.</p><p>Thirty-ninth draw: 5 and 4 - Suki takes the cards.</p><p>Azula has one card left. Suki laughs.</p><p>"Don't get ahead of yourself," The princess scowls. Suki realizes she shouldn't enjoy her victory so much - it was clear that the firebender was a sore loser. However, as much as Suki wanted to deny it, she was having fun. It reminded her of the times she'd play with her friends back home, back before they became warriors. She wondered if Azula felt the same.</p><p>The fortieth draw: an Ace and a 7. Suki takes her cards, smiling a big, toothy grin at her victory.</p><p>"Congratulations," Azula says, slow clapping, "You must feel so proud, beating the crown-princess at kid's game."</p><p>"We are kids," Suki says. A small silence falls between them.</p><p>"So we are."</p><p>Suki reaches for the bag of fireflakes, cautiously examining it.</p><p>"Go ahead, try one," Azula says. Suki shakes her head, "What, afraid I've poisoned it?"</p><p>"Yeah, actually," Suki replies. She handed her cards back to the firebender, who stacks them all into a singular deck, and starts to shuffle.</p><p>"What do you say, best two out of three?"</p><p>"You're on."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hello all! This is something I've been working on for the past couple of weeks, and the first two chapters are posted on FF. I wanted to write a series of character studies for Azula, Suki, and Ty-Lee, via a card game format. I thought it'd be a fun way to explore the relationships of these characters.</p><p>Chapter 2 will be between Azula and Ty Lee, and it's my favorite chapter so far.</p><p>Thank you for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2: Queens</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Breath In. Breath Out. <em>Punch.</em></p><p>Breath In. Breath Out. <em>Kick.</em></p><p>Azula was practicing a basic training technique most often used by Earth Kingdom warriors. It had something to do with channeling one's inner strength while remaining grounded...or so Azula guessed. She honestly thought the exercise was beneath her. However, her training options were limited at the moment.</p><p>Normally she'd practice firebending this time of night. However, she was currently disguised as one of the famed Kyoshi Warriors - and her plan to overthrow Ba Sing Se from within was beginning to unfold. She couldn't risk the wrong people finding out her true identity.</p><p>So, the lowly Earth Kingdom exercise it was. It wasn't firebending, but it was better than nothing. Besides, if nothing else, it was a good outlet for her current restlessness.</p><p>When Azula captured the Kyoshi Warriors, she realized the remarkable opportunity she had. She could infiltrate Ba Sing Se, take care of the Avatar, and leave before anyone was wiser. Then, in her meeting with the Earth King, he revealed a plot to invade her home when they were powerless, and Azula knew she needed to <em>act</em>.<br/><br/>That night, Azula cobbled together a tactically genius strategy - helped by the fact that she'd already done her research. Her uncle's failed siege of Ba Sing Se was a disgrace to her family legacy, after all, and she knew she'd be the one to remedy that. As such, she had done plenty of research of the Earth Kingdom's capital. She had found evidence of an elite, secret police force that kept order from the shadows.</p><p>During her meeting the Earth King, he told her of a former advisor who'd used the Dai Li to try and undermine his reign. And there lied the key to the kingdom.</p><p>Azula knew that if she was going to overthrow the grand Earth Kingdom, she was going to need some support from within. And the thing about a secret police force was, they were always loyal to an individual - never a nation. No one who truly loved their country ever joined the police, let alone a secret one. No, these were people who wanted power.</p><p>She had instructed Mai and Ty Lee to "accidentally" be overheard talking about their true identities - <em>her</em> true identity. The Dai Li would then report back to this "Long Feng" character, and if he was as ambitious as she suspected, he would decide to use her to his advantage. If everything went as planned, they would form an alliance where they could join forces and execute a coup. After everything was done and said, she would undermine Long Feng's authority and take Ba Sing Se for herself.</p><p>It was a great plan, even she was impressed with herself. It had all the makings of one of the greatest political upstagings of all time. <em>But still...</em></p><p>At some point tonight, though she didn't know when, the Dai Li would come for her. In the dead of night, they would drag her into some unknown location - and she wouldn't be able to fight back. She would be completely at the mercy of a power-hungry stranger in enemy territory. Azula had tried to come up with a way around it, another way to initiate contact with Long Feng, but she could think of nothing.</p><p>As her father always told her: a high risk, a high reward. If this is what she had to do, so be it. Besides, conquering Ba Sing Se was never going to be an easy task; she knew what she was getting into.</p><p>She couldn't afford to second-guess herself now. No one could ever know of the butterflies in her stomach.</p><p>All she could do was channel her energy into her breathing and her hits.</p><p>Breath In. Breath Out. <em>Punch.</em></p><p>Breath In. Breath Out. <em>Kick.</em></p><p>Mai had gone out to take a walk in the moonlight, while Ty Lee stayed behind. On the other side of the room, Ty Lee giggles as she looks in the mirror. She's making various different faces, still donning her Kyoshi Warrior disguise. She twirls around in the stiffy dress - like a kid playing dress-up in her mother's clothes.</p><p>"<em>I've seen the way you look at her, too."</em></p><p>Azula realizes that she's spent the past however-long staring at Ty Lee. She stops her exercises, and quickly looks away, hoping that the acrobat didn't notice. Did she notice?</p><p>"<em>Ty Lee is a talented warrior, and a valuable asset to my plans, nothing more."</em></p><p>To her relief, it appears as if the acrobat has not noticed her staring- Ty Lee being too preoccupied making herself laugh in the mirror. Azula looks back at her and watches as she scrunches up her face, and sticks out her tongue. Azula curses the warmth she feels rush to her cheeks.</p><p>"<em>Then why are you blushing?"</em></p><p>Azula finds herself thankful for the Kyoshi Warrior makeup that was still on her face - as hard as she tried, she couldn't get Suki's words out of her head. If she didn't know any better, she'd think she was starting to feel self-conscious about it. She lets out a heavy sigh, and approaches Ty Lee. The acrobat smiles at her.</p><p>"Have I told you that you pull this makeup off really well?" Ty Lee asks out of the blue. Azula pauses, and without meaning to, a small smile creeps up her lips.</p><p>"Of course I do," she replies. She sits herself down on one of the room's beds.</p><p>"Done training for tonight?"</p><p>"I think so," Azula responds, "I should probably go to bed...big day tomorrow."</p><p>"Are you tired?"</p><p>"No."</p><p>Ty Lee nods, and Azula notices the worried look that crossed acrobat's face. Was Ty Lee just as worried about the night as she was? Azula clenches her fists.</p><p>"I can take care of myself, you know," she snaps. Ty Lee's gaze didn't falter. She simply smiles a soft smile and approaches the princess. It was weird, Ty Lee never seemed that affected by her outbursts. She sits on the bed next to Azula.</p><p>"I know you can," she responds. Her voice was gentle, still comforting, "You're one of the most capable warriors in the world, you can handle anything!"</p><p>Azula briefly wonders if Ty Lee could sense her anxieties about the mission...if perhaps she could see something in her "aura" or whatever. Maybe this was some attempt to try and comfort her. As much as Azula wanted to be offended by the gesture, it was...nice.</p><p>The fact was, anything could happen that night. Most likely, Long Feng would take the bait. Still, this was an adversary she'd never met. While it was doubtful, Long Feng could decide that his country's freedom was more important than his own ambitions. He could have her locked and tortured for information. Or maybe he'd use her as a hostage to gain some sort of leverage with the Fire Lord. Hell, he could decide that she wasn't worth the trouble and kill her on the spot. She was confident in her abilities as a fighter, and Azula had do doubts that she could hold her own against the Dai Li. She was scrappy.</p><p>But scrappy only got you so far in enemy territory.</p><p>Azula let out a deep breath. If it was one thing she hated more than anything, it was feeling helpless.</p><p>"Hey," Ty Lee says, interrupting her thoughts, "look what I found earlier!"</p><p>Ty Lee pulls out a deck of Earth Kingdom playing cards. They were older and worn around the edges, a faded green with the Earth Kingdom logo decorating the top.</p><p>"Wanna play something?" Ty Lee asks. Azula thinks for a moment. It would be a nice way to get her mind of things.</p><p>"Have you played War before?" she asks. Ty Lee eagerly nods.</p><p>"Ooo, we played that back at the circus!" The two girls sit across from each other on the bed, and the acrobat starts shuffling the deck. Ty Lee shuffles the cards like a professional card dealer, making a show out of it. No doubt she was showing off, maybe even trying to get the princess's praise or approval.</p><p>"Good technique," Azula comments. Ty Lee giggles, before dividing the cards evenly.</p><p>The game begins.</p><p>First Draw: 4 and 4. The two of them lock eyes and grin.</p><p>"War!" They exclaim, drawing their three more cards. They quickly reveal their cards: 7 and 10. Ty Lee takes the pile.</p><p>Second Draw: a Jack and an 8. Azula takes the cards. Third Draw: 8 and 2 - Azula takes the cards. Ty Lee starts laughing.<br/><br/>"What's so funny?"</p><p>"Remember when we were kids, and we got playing cards banned from school?"</p><p>Azula laughs...she hadn't thought about that in years. It was back when she was eight years old, and Zuko had taught her the game Mao. She proceeded to teach Ty Lee and Mai, and the three soon taught it to the rest of the students at the Royal Firebending Academy for Girls. Any break they had, students would play that stupid game instead of studying or training. It got to the point where everyone was playing it in class. The grade-point average for the entire student body dropped two points before cards were banned.</p><p>"You girls have <em>disgraced </em>this great institution!" Ty Lee says, in an over-exaggerated crone voice. She hunchs over and scrunches her face. Azula smiles, fighting to hold back laughter. Ty Lee hones in on Azula, wagging a finger at her, "What do you have to SAY for yourself, Princess Azula?"</p><p>Azula can't hold it back anymore, she starts laughing. Harder than she has in a long time. Ty Lee struggles to hold back laughter herself, but she maintains the character.</p><p>"I forgot how good your impression of Master Chen was," Azula says.</p><p>"Just wait until I talk to your parents, young ladies, THEN you'll be sorry!" Ty Lee continues, though the impression falters through the laughter. For a moment, that's all it is - the two of them laughing hysterically. But they eventually compose themselves.</p><p>Ty Lee wipes her eyes, "My parents didn't even see what the big deal was. They were like, '<em>why is the school making a big deal about a card game?' </em>and took me and my sisters out for some ice cream. It was great."</p><p>"I'm jealous," Azula sighs, "Father was not so understanding."</p><p>"Really?"</p><p>Azula nods, "He lectured me for hours about how '<em>these silly games were undignified' </em>and that I shouldn't '<em>waste my time playing around when there's a war to be won.' </em>He had me demonstrate my...fi-fighting skills for the rest of the night. It was awful." Azula had slipped and almost said the word "firebending." She was beginning to think that maybe reflecting on their past wasn't a good idea.</p><p>"I'm sorry, I had no idea."</p><p>Azula sees Ty Lee's eyes look at her with...was it sadness? Or was it pity? It was obnoxious, whatever it was.</p><p>Third draw: A king and a 2 - Azula takes the cards.</p><p>"He was right, of course," Azula says, shrugging her shoulders. As much as she hated the memory, it helped turn her into the skillful warrior she was today. Still, Ty Lee's gray eyes lingered, not convinced, "He simply knew my potential, and didn't want me to waste my time on activities that were beneath me. I'm thankful for it."</p><p>Fourth draw: 3 and 6 - Ty Lee takes the cards.</p><p>"...Do you think this is a waste of time?" Ty Lee asks, her voice quiet...like she was afraid of the answer. Azula sighs - now she'd done it. The honest answer was yes, it was. As much as Azula loved playing with cards - she knew her time could be better spent doing anything else. Studying battle tactics, practicing her fighting, reading up on potential enemies she might face.</p><p>But for once, Azula didn't want to do any of those things.</p><p>"We're in Ba Sing Se, we're allowed to relax and do trivial things," Azula said. She carefully looked at Ty Lee, to see if there was a change in the girl's expression. There wasn't. Azula smiled at the acrobat, "Besides, it's not like we're going to be... ambushed in the middle of the night or anything.</p><p>Azula watches closely to see if Ty Lee would get her joke - and caught herself sighing in relief as Ty Lee laughed.</p><p>Fifth draw: a 2 and an Ace - Ty Lee takes the cards.</p><p>"Even if it's trivial, I…" Ty Lee hesitates. She bites her bottom lip as she thinks.</p><p>"You…." Azula says, trying to egg the rest of the sentence out of the acrobat. Ty lee looks away.</p><p>"I just…" Ty Lee sighs, "I like playing cards with you. I missed this."</p><p>Azula was once again grateful for her Kyoshi Warrior makeup. Once again, Azula found herself thinking back to her card-game with the Kyoshi Warrior captain.</p><p>
  <em>"For what it's worth, I think two would be a cute couple."</em>
</p><p>Azula tries to shake the words from her head. She knew the Kyoshi Warrior was just trying to get under her skin. Nothing would ever happen between the two of them, and it was ridiculous to think otherwise.</p><p>
  <em>And yet…</em>
</p><p>Azula takes a deep breath, "Maybe when the war is over, we'll have more time to do trivial things together…"</p><p>Azula watches as Ty Lee's eyes light up, and her grin grows to a large, toothy smile.</p><p>"You think?" She seemed so eager. Azula nods.</p><p>"Maybe."</p><p>"That would be amazing, Azula!" Ty Lee, without warning, leans over the bed and kisses Azula on the cheek. Azula eyes widen, and she feels her heart rapidly beating.</p><p>Ty Lee quickly pulls away, stumbling back in her retreat.</p><p>"I'm so, so sorry, I…." The acrobat looks at the floor, doing anything she can to not meet Azula's eyes, "I don't know what came over me. I'm sorry."</p><p>For once in her life, Azula doesn't have the words. She was taken off guard, something that would normally make her furious...but she wasn't. She gingerly lifts a hand, and touches her fingers to her cheek. Why had Ty Lee done that? To mess with her? Or was she really that excited to play more cards? Maybe it was a haphazard attempt to comfort her. Once again, Azula found herself wondering if Ty Lee knew how nervous she really was.</p><p>"Don't worry about it," she says. Ty Lee hesitantly nods, her eyes still panicked, not that Azula could blame her, "It's fine, I promise. Come on, let's keep playing."</p><p>Sixth Draw: 10 and 9 - Azula takes the cards.</p><p>"What do you think I'm feeling right now?" Azula asks, as she adds her cards to the bottom of her deck. </p><p>Seventh Draw: an 8 and a Queen - Ty Lee takes the cards.</p><p>"What do you mean?" Ty Lee's eyes dart to meet hers.</p><p>"You're good at reading emotions. What am I feeling right now?"</p><p>Eighth Draw: two Jacks, another war.</p><p>The girls set down their extra cards, revealing the top: an Ace and a King - Azula laughs, as she takes the cards.</p><p>"I think you're feeling happy that you won the war," Ty Lee says. It sounds cheerful, but Azula can sense that the acrobat is avoiding the question.</p><p>"What about earlier, before we started playing?"</p><p>Ninth Draw: 4 and 10 - Ty Lee takes the cards.</p><p>"You...seemed nervous," Ty Lee states, hesitantly, "Ever since The Earth King told us about the invasion plan during the eclipse."</p><p>It was true, that was when she first felt the pit of anxiety in her stomach. The fact that Ty Lee had immediately sensed her fear was...impressive, if not terrifying. Was Ty Lee that good at reading emotion, or had she been that obvious with her emotions?</p><p>"Did you know firebenders lose their bending during a solar eclipse?" Azula asks. Ty Lee shakes her head.</p><p>"No...I had no idea…"</p><p>"All firebenders will be completely helpless that day," she says, "Every soldier, Fire Lord Ozai…"</p><p>"You," Ty Lee finishes, in barely a whisper, so no one else could hear. Azula gulps, before nodding.</p><p>Tenth Draw: a 5 and a Queen - Ty Lee takes the cards.</p><p>"You've been trying to make me feel better all night, haven't you?" Azula asks, "Because you think I'm nervous."</p><p>Ty Lee looks away.</p><p>"I was just worried."</p><p>Eleventh Draw: 9 and 7 - Azula takes the cards.</p><p>"You're right, you know," the princess states. She takes a deep breath, "I'm terrified."</p><p>Ty Lee immediately reaches out a hand towards Azula, but the princess pushes it off. Ty Lee nods.</p><p>"Sorry," she says, meekly.</p><p>Twelfth Draw: a King and an 8 - Azula takes the cards.</p><p>"...I hate feeling helpless," Azula says. She briefly glances at the door, just to make sure Mai isn't coming back any time soon. "I've worked my whole life so I never would be. I don't like the idea of being defenseless, even for a second."</p><p>Thirteenth Draw: an Ace and a 4 - Azula takes the cards.</p><p>"No matter what, Mai and I will always fight by your side...you know that, right?"</p><p>Azula rolls her eyes, "Don't make promises you can't keep."</p><p>Fourteenth Draw: 7 and 6 - Azula takes the cards.</p><p>"Do you not trust me?"</p><p>Azula eyes dart to meet Ty Lee's - there was an intensity about her. She stared at Azula, eyes unyielding, waiting for an answer.</p><p>There is a long silence between the two, but Ty Lee didn't push her for an answer. Azula shifted in her seat - she hated this.</p><p>"I…" she started to say. What was the most strategic thing to say? She racked her brain for a diplomatic answer - like she was in a meeting with a general, and not having an honest conversation with a friend.</p><p>Her best friend.</p><p>"...I trust you with my life," is what she finally said. Ty Lee's eyes grew, and she set down her deck of cards. This silence was almost more unbearable than the first.</p><p>The girls locked eyes with each other, and almost as if on instinct, they slowly leaned into each other. Their noses brush against each other. Then, ever so gently, they kissed.</p><p>They stayed like that for what felt like both hours and seconds. An eternity that ended too soon.</p><p>When they broke, they resumed their game. Ty Lee won the first round, Azula the second and third. The laughed and joked about the past. Eventually, Mai would come back, and join in the fun. The goth queen would proceed to win the next three matches. They would never tell her about the kiss they shared.</p><p>For the night - before they started their plot to conquer Ba Sing Se - they were no longer warriors.</p><p>That night, they were just kids playing cards.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Shuffle</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>At age fifteen, Azula had succeeded where the rest of her family had failed for generations. In five short days, Ba Sing Se went from the greatest existing threat to her country, to the Fire Nation's greatest military victory. The Earth King was nowhere to be found, she had captured her traitorous uncle, she'd convinced her brother to re-join her side - complete with a plan to restore his honor in the eyes of their father, and the Avatar was probably dead.</p><p>Probably being the keyword.</p><p>She should have been happy. Thanks to her spontaneous plot, it was only a matter of weeks before the great war was over for good. She thought she'd be able to relax the moment she returned to her homeland...but she couldn't. She quickly realized it was foolish to think it'd be that easy.</p><p>For one thing, she couldn't shake the feeling that The Avatar was still alive. She physically felt her lightning him. She watched as the glow faded from his eyes, as his cold body crashed into the ground below. Still, she couldn't shake the idea that it wasn't enough.</p><p>On top of that, there was this "invasion" the Earth King had mentioned. The fact was, their enemies had discovered when they would be at their most vulnerable. Though the rebellion no longer had the military might of Ba Sing Se to support them, a small group of capable warriors would be more than enough to take them down, if they knew what they were doing. And if the Avatar was indeed still alive...</p><p>That's why she found herself visiting the Boiling Rock Prison - it was time to pay a certain Kyoshi Warrior a visit. She had previously gotten some valuable information out of the girl - that the Avatar and his friends were in Ba Sing Se, but now she suspected that her favorite prisoner hadn't been completely honest. A capable warrior like her, especially one who was friends with the Avatar, <em>had</em> to know details about this invasion. Azula planned on milking her for every bit of information she had.</p><p>She was accompanied to the prison by Mai and Ty Lee. Mai, because her uncle was the warden. While Azula had never met Mai's uncle, she heard that he could be difficult to work with. He had run Boiling Rock with an iron fist for decades and was a proud man who didn't like to be given orders. He was a lot less likely to try and undermine her when his precious niece was by her side. Ty Lee had joined them on the off chance that things became rocky. Boiling Rock was filled to the brim with war prisoners and traitors, so it was good to have some backup.</p><p>Also, though it was much less important of a reason, it was a chance to actually spend some time with her two friends. She'd barely been able to see either of them since they made it back home. Her father occupied most of her time. The Fire Lord either had her continuing her firebending training, or studying the writings of generals and military strategists from all over the world. Sometimes, he'd pull her into strategy meetings on how to deal with the upcoming invasion.</p><p>She couldn't complain - her father was invested in making sure she reached her full potential. She chose to be grateful for it. It was much better than the alternative</p><p>Still, she had to admit, her trip to Boiling Rock provided a nice change of scenery.</p><p>The Warden was equally delighted and horrified by the princess's visit. Delighted, because it was an honor. Horrified, because he had no time to prepare. The moment the group steps into the office, Ty Lee and Mai waste no time to start poking around the decorum.</p><p>"I'm truly honored your highness," The Warden says, bowing to her, "I understand you're here to interrogate a prisoner?"</p><p>She nods at him, "That's correct. I'm here to speak with the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors."</p><p>"Ah, yes…" she watches as the Warden's body language tenses, "That girl has been nothing but trouble since the day she arrived."</p><p>Azula lips curl into a smile, pleased by The Warden's obvious distress. She knew that the statement shouldn't delight her, after all, Suki was the enemy. It was probably because Azula had never met a prison warden she'd liked. In her experience, wardens were power-hungry wimps who could stand to be knocked down a few pegs.</p><p>It was also possible that deep down, she had a fondness for the Kyoshi Warrior.</p><p>"Has she now?" Azula asks, smirking. The Warden nods.</p><p>"You'll be able to speak to her the moment she finishes her stint in The Ice Box," The Warden replies.</p><p>Azula pauses, taking in the statement. The Ice Box was a punishment made specifically for firebenders. A freezing cold environment that made it impossible for one to firebend. It forced a firebender's body to use all their inner-fire, keeping them <em>just</em> warm enough to be alive.</p><p>It was not a survivable environment for non-benders. Best case scenario, she loses a few fingers from the frostbite. Best case.</p><p>"Why is she in the Ice Box?" Azula asks, as calmly as she can muster. Her knuckles are white, with how hard she clenches her fists. The princess notices that Ty Lee and Mai have stopped what they're doing - most likely they sensed the anger rising within her.</p><p>"As I said, that girl has been nothing but trouble since she got here," The Warden replies, "she needs to learn respect, one way or another."</p><hr/><p>One of Suki's small comforts in her captivity was making the life of The Warden a waking nightmare. From the moment she'd arrived, she made it a point to be as disrespectful, unruly, and <em>mouthy </em>as she could be. It didn't make her time at Boiling Rock easy, but showing her captors that they couldn't break her was a victory in itself.</p><p>On that particular day, The Warden finally had enough of her. In an attempt to reclaim his power over Kyoshi Warrior, The Warden had her thrown in The Icebox for "firebending." Despite not being a bender, none of the other guards dared to question their superior. So here she was. Her relief of temporarily getting out of Boiling Rock's sweltering heat was quickly replaced, as she felt the biting frost nip at every inch of exposed skin on her body.</p><p>It wasn't long before her fingertips started to feel numb. She brings her hands to her lips and blows, desperately hoping to get some heat. The relief is only momentary, however, as the bitter cold quickly comes back. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath while hugging her body closer. She'd get through this. She had too.</p><p>Suddenly, the cell door slams open. Suki looks up, just in time for a guard to grab her by the shoulder. Suki yelps as she's harshly forced to her feet.</p><p>"It's your lucky day," the guard says, before shoving her out the door.</p><p>Suki was led to the other side of the prison, to the top of the prison's watchtower. They stopped in front of a pair of large iron doors with a golden fire-nation emblem, doors Suki had never seen before. Whatever she was brought here for, it couldn't be good. She felt a pit in her stomach. What was about to happen to her? Had The Warden come up with a more demented punishment to try and break her? As the doors opened, she heard a voice that was all too familiar.</p><p>"...what the hell were you thinking, putting a non-bender in The Ice Box like that. If it's too cold for firebenders, what the hell do you think happens to <em>non-</em>firebenders?"</p><p>Suki is greeted to the sight of the princess holding The Warden by his collar, pulling him down so he was eye-level with her face. Suki fights back a smile. There was something pleasant about seeing The Warden, the gruff man who had it out for any prisoner who showed the slightest bit of resilience, cowering in front of a fifteen-year-old princess.</p><p>Suki notices that Mai and Ty Lee are also in the room, standing in the corner. They watch as Azula tears into The Warden, seemingly amused at his treatment by the princess. Mei giggles, and whispers something into Ty Lee's ear. The two start quietly laughing from their corner.</p><p>As Suki watches, she realizes that it was most likely Azula who called for her, and she had a feeling that The Princess didn't summon her for a card game.</p><p>"My princess, she was…"</p><p>"I don't care about your pathetic excuses, I..." Azula stops mid-sentence, as she sees Suki through the door. Her piercing golden eyes flicker with excitement, and she smirks, "...Ah, speak of the spirit, come on in." She lets go of The Warden, and gestures for Suki to enter.</p><p>Suki clenches her fists, feeling like she was about to walk into the Unagi's den. She takes a cautious step into the room, keenly aware that everyone was <em>staring </em>at her.</p><p>"Have a seat," The princess instructs. The room in question appeared to be The Warden's office. A cold metal room, decorated with patriotic Fire Nation memorabilia. Azula and The Warden stood at one side of a small desk. Azula gestures to a chair on the other side.</p><p>Suki does as instructed, and takes her seat in the chair. Azula stands on the other side of the desk, hovering over her. She leans into Suki, and the Kyoshi Warrior watches Azula's eyes look her over, examining her.</p><p>"Poor thing, she's still shivering," Suki genuinely couldn't tell if the princess was trying to taunt her. Azula sits down across from her, and grins, "Tell me, why did they throw you in there?"</p><p>"I was mopping," Suki glances up at The Warden, who glares daggers at her, "The Warden told me to pick up the pace, and I made a harmless joke that no amount of cleaning would be enough to rid this place of his foul stench."</p><p>Azula smirks, and glances up at The Warden, "And your ego is so fragile, that you sent her to The Ice Box to die?"</p><p>The Warden looks between the two girls, torn between defending his pride or standing up to the princess. He takes a deep breath, "With all due respect, princess, I am the Warden of this prison, and I will not tolerate disrespect from any of my prisoners," He looked at Suki, "Especially some lowly peasant-girl from the Earth Kingdom."</p><p>"But Warden, she isn't just any prisoner," Azula counters. She smiles at Suki, and a chill runs up the Kyoshi Warrior's spine, "This '<em>lowly peasant girl' </em>was instrumental in the fall of Ba Sing Se."</p><p>Suki's eyes widen. "What?" she blurts out. The princess eyes her, and giggles.</p><p>"Leave us," Azula says, gesturing towards the door, "We have <em>a lot </em>to talk about."</p><p>The Warden and the other guards bow to her before exiting, with Ty Lee and Mai close behind them. The door slams behind the group, shaking the room. Suki realizes she's still shivering. Was it because she was still freezing, or was it the news the princess just revealed. There was no way Ba Sing Se could have fallen. Ba Sing Se was unconquerable. And what did Azula mean when she said she was 'instrumental?'</p><p>Suki notices a particular twinkle in Azula's eyes, one that was playful and deadly. The firebender's smile widens.</p><p>"I take it you haven't heard," the princess says, breaking the silence, "I overthrew the Earth King and took Ba Sing Se in the name of my father."</p><p>Suki felt like she'd been kicked. Her breaths quickened, and her heart started to beat rapidly. She could feel the princess watching her, searching for some sort of reaction. Azula had to be toying with her, there was no way she could be telling the truth.</p><p>"You're lying," Suki said, as calmly as she could muster. The princess wasn't going to get a rise out of her.</p><p>"And why would I lie about that?" Azula asks. It's hard to ignore the gleeful sparkle in her eyes, "What would I possibly gain from lying about that?"</p><p>"I'm not playing your little mind-games," Suki scowls, turning her head away from Azula's burning gaze. She hears the princess chuckle.</p><p>"I'm not playing any games," Azula says, her voice cold and steady, "Ba Sing Se has fallen."</p><p>There was something about the tone of her voice. Despite not wanting to believe a word she said, Suki knew it was true. Her stomach sank. She thought of all the refugees she helped escape to the great city. Had everything that she'd done been for nothing? If Ba Sing Se had fallen, then it wouldn't be long before they overtook the rest of the world.</p><p>"...You told The Warden that I was <em>instrumental </em>to your victory," Suki sits up a little straighter, "why?"</p><p>Azula laughs, "You provided me with the perfect disguise."</p><p>"No…"</p><p>"Mai, Ty Lee, and I disguised ourselves as Kyoshi Warriors," the princess gloats, "The Earth King welcomed us with open arms." Azula smiles, clearly delighting in giving Suki the news, "In only a few days, I was able to take Ba Sing Se for my father, and it's all thanks to you!"</p><p>Suki's blood was boiling. She glares at the gloating princess, doing her best to maintain a level head. She wasn't going to show how devastated she was, she couldn't give the princess the satisfaction. Still, what she wouldn't give to wipe that smug smirk off her pretty little face.</p><p>"So that's why you're here? To gloat?" Suki asks, as calmly as she can muster, "Or did you come to play another game of cards?"</p><p>Azula chuckles, leaning towards Suki. Her golden eyes unblinking, "I also killed the Avatar."</p><p>Suki's poker face broke, as the statement left the princess's lips. All her attempts to remain calm escaped her, as tears welled in her eyes. She started shaking, and not from the cold. The princess had to be toying with her. She had to be.</p><p>"You're lying," Suki says, her voice trembling ever so slight "The Avatar can't...Aang can't..."</p><p>Azula shrugs, "The Avatar may be the great bridge between humans and spirits..." the princess lifts her hand, a jolt of electricity bouncing between her fingers, "...but he's still human."</p><p>As the princess cackles, Suki sees red. Aang was her friend. The Earth Kingdom was her home. Now both were gone. Acting on nothing but righteous fury, Suki lunges at the princess. She balls her fist, and with all of her strength, she swings. The fist hits Azula's lip, and the firebender yelps as she tumbles onto the ground.</p><p>Suki stands, realizing what she just did. She watches as Azula lays there, unmoving. She groans, before pushing herself up from the floor. Azula turns to face Suki, her lip bleeding from the impact. Her golden eyes are wide, in shock. She brings a hand to her bleeding lip, and gently touches it. Blood drips onto her finger.</p><p>The Princess's eyes flicker, and in an instant, Azula goes from disorientated to angry.</p><p>"You're going to regret that," she growls.</p><p>With all the energy she could muster, Suki sprints out the door. She pushes herself past the guards, who didn't expect her to be bolting out of there. She runs down the hallway, not daring to look back.</p><p>"After her!" She hears The Warden scream out.</p><p>"No," it's Azula, "<em>she's mine</em>."</p><p>Suki knew this chase wasn't going to end well. She had nowhere to run to, and nowhere to hide. She briefly considers if it'd be best to stop this now. To stop running and fighting, and relent to her Fire Nation captors. But as she runs, she can still feel the impact on her fist.</p><p>That punch was for Aang. That punch was for Sokka. That punch was for Katara and Toph and Baby Hope and every refugee she tried to help find a better life. That punch was for everyone who dreamed of a better world, free from Fire Nation rule. She decided she'd keep running as long as she could, damned be the consequences.</p><p>She runs to a set of stairs at the end of the hall, grabs onto the railing, and used her momentum to fling herself to the bottom - hopefully giving her a little more distance between her and her captors. She's sprinting past a set of jail cells now.</p><p>"Get back here!" It's Azula. Suki feels the heat of fire nearly graze her, and she thinks this chase might not last much longer. She had to run faster.</p><p>Then, she hears it. In the cells she's passing, her fellow prisoners are...cheering for her. She hears calls for her to keep running, to watch out. She hears guards yelling at the prisoners to settle down. It fueled her to keep running.</p><p>But as she rounded a corner, she suddenly has to pivot as a set of knives wizz past her ear. It throws her off balance, but she manages to keep from falling and keep going…</p><p>Until she feels a familiar series of jabs, following by a tingling numbness. Ty Lee and Mei are behind her, and Ty Lee has just Chi-Blocked her. Suki tumbles towards the ground, unable to move. How had they gotten ahead of her so quickly? Suki tries to move, but she's stuck.</p><p>She can only watch as Azula approaches hers. Her lip is still bleeding. She grabs Suki by the shoulder, forcing her up, before slamming her into the wall behind them. Suki's pinned, with nowhere to look by Azula's murderous gaze. Her eyes are nothing but cold fury.</p><p>"Do you know what happens when you disrespect a member of the royal family?" she growls, leaning in closer to Suki. The Kyoshi Warrior feels herself trembling. Her heart is about to beat out of her chest. Still, she never once turns away from the princess. She was ready to face this, it was worth it.</p><p>"Enlighten me," Suki responds, a challenge. The princess smiled wickedly, and she felt Azula's nail dig into her shoulder.</p><p>"The Warden was right, you do need to learn respect," the firebender lifts her free hand, engulfing it in blue fire, "I'm going to make you look like my brother!" The sentence starts quiet and ends with a roar, as she raises her flame engulfed fist. Suki wanted to close her eyes, to turn her face away.</p><p>But she didn't. Never once did she look away from Azula's murderous gaze. She wasn't about to cower, she was going to face this with dignity.</p><p>This was the princess who captured her. This was the princess, who threatened the lives of Suki's friends unless she gave up the information she wanted. This was the princess who was eager to learn a new card game. The princess who became flustered, talking about girls. The princess who personally guarded her cell at the beginning of her imprisonment, and the princess who chewed out the warden for putting her into the Ice Box. Had it all been leading up to this?</p><p>"Azula!" It was Ty Lee. The yell was desperate and pleading.</p><p>And remarkably, Suki watched Azula's feature's soften. The firebender looked at Ty Lee, who stood - clutching Mei's hand, then back to Suki.</p><p>Then, with a single powerful swing, Azula brings her fist forward...and hits the wall by Suki's face. Her fire-engulfed fist extinguishes itself. Then, she lets go of Suki's shoulder, letting the paralyzed prisoner drop to the floor.</p><p>Suki watches Azula walk to her friends. Ty Lee runs up to her, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder.</p><p>The guards and The Warden soon join them, and Suki is harshly picked up.</p><p>"Shall I put her in The Icebox?" The Warden asks. Azula looks up and breaks away from Ty Lee.</p><p>"She's a non-bender, what part of that do you not get?" she yells. Azula looks to Suki, "Put her in her cell."</p><p>The guards drag her away. Suki didn't understand what had caused the princess to not turn her face into ash. But as she's dragged away, she watches.</p><p>"Your lip…" she hears the chi-blocker say to Azula. Ty Lee gently tends Azula's bleeding lip, causing the firebender to wince.</p><p>"It's fine," Azula says. Her voice was hollow.</p><p>Somehow, Suki couldn't shake the feeling that it was the chi-blocker who saved her.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hello friends! This chapter has been a long time coming. Honestly, it's technically "part one" of this chapter, but it was getting so long I thought it might be best pacing-wise if I broke it up into two parts.<br/>Honestly, I've had such a good time writing this. Thank you everyone for the love you've shown this story, it truly means a lot! I look forward to being able to share the rest with you all!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Jacks</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ty Lee gingerly dabs a silk cloth onto Azula’s cut lip. The princess winces but is otherwise compliant. The acrobat can’t help but notice how distracted she seems. </p><p>The gondola ride across the boiling lake is uncomfortably silent -- as Ty Lee, Mai, and Azula process what had just happened. If Ty Lee was being honest, what she saw had scared her. While brutality was nothing new when it came to the princess...<em> that </em> was something different. Even Mai seemed startled by what they had witnessed. <br/><br/>They’d both known Azula since they were all practically babies. They literally grew up together, so Ty Lee and Mai could tell when something was <em> off. </em> Everything action Azula did was always calculated and purposeful -- she never let her emotions get the better of her in a situation. She especially didn’t let her emotions get the better of her in a <em> fight </em>. </p><p>Mai sighs, breaking the silence.  She turns her attention towards the princess.<br/><br/>“Okay, so what was that about?” she asks, her monotone voice layered with concern. Azula snaps her head towards the taller girl, eyes narrowing. <br/><br/>“She disrespected me, so I gave her a scare,” Azula’s voice is cold and distant. Ty Lee notices how her eyes glance away from them, as well as the way her body tenses. </p><p>Ty Lee wants to say something, but she doesn’t know what. </p><p>Instead, she grabs onto Azula’s hand, holding it as tight as she can.</p><p><b>--<br/></b> <b><br/></b> <b>Chapter 4: </b>Jacks</p><p>--<br/><br/>Suki barely had time to process what was happening. One minute, it was quiet. The next, her cell doors slam open, and a group of six armed guards yank the Kyoshi Warrior from her bed. Normally, when a prisoner was retrieved for something, they’d only be escorted by one guard --  two if they were really a trouble maker. <br/><br/>Looks like she was a special case. It had been a week since her incident with the Fire Nation’s princess. Did that have anything to do with what was happening now? <br/><br/>Probably. <br/><br/>Still, she wasn’t going to make this easy for them. She had a reputation to keep, after all. She thrashes her body wildly, screaming every curse she can think of while they drag her to...wherever it was they were taking her. They pass the cell of a muscular, bald firebender -- who Suki recognizes as a common victim of the guard’s harassment. He smiles at her as she passes his cell, giving her an approving nod. <br/><br/>“Yeah, give ‘em hell little girl!” he cheers, slamming his fists against the cell. Some other prisoners join in the cheers, and their encouragement motivates her to fight harder. She screams louder and thrashes as violently as she can. She feels the guards having trouble keeping her grip on her. The cheers echo through the hallways. She smiles. <br/><br/>Even though Aang was dead, she refused to be broken. She’d noticed that her constant rebellions have become a source of morale for the prison’s population. More prisoners had been standing up to the guards about their mistreatment, despite the consequences. The people around her seemed more determined to get through the day. </p><p>Her defiant pride soon dissipates, however, as they drag her into an underground hallway, one she’d never seen. Suki had heard murmurs and whisperings from the other prisoners of an underground dungeon, where prisoners were tortured for information. A pained scream echos down the hallway, and Suki feels her blood turn cold.<br/><br/>There would be no princess to save her now. <br/><br/>“Looks like someone’s realized their situation,” one of the guards taunts, “What’s the matter, <em> little girl </em> ? Scared?” <br/><br/>With that comment, she regains her resolve. She spits on the guard, with all the saliva she can muster. He almost seems to growl. <br/><br/>“We’ll see how tough you are after <em> she’s </em> done with you,” he jeers, as she shoves her forward. <br/><em> <br/></em> <em> “...after she’s done with you.” </em></p><p>With that statement, Suki suddenly suspects who was behind this. They stop at a door, and the guards start to laugh, truly gleeful at the knowledge of what was about to happen to her. </p><p>
  <em> Bastards.  </em>
</p><p>Suki eyes one of the guards as she unlocks the door. It opens with a heavy creak. There’s a pit of anxiety in Suki’s stomach -- her mind flashing back to Azula pinning her to that wall. The blue flame. The look in her golden eyes.<br/><br/>Suki’s thrown in the room, landing harshly on her side. As she hears a familiar chuckle, she scowls, pushing herself to her feet.<br/><br/>She’s in a steel chamber, with rusted shackles hanging from the walls. A metal table sits in the middle of the room, with two chairs on either side. Azula sits in one of them, a wide smirk on her face. Suki can see the cut on her lip -- it’s still a bit swollen.<br/><br/>“Here for round two?” Suki forces a smile. She raises her fists and looks the princess in her serpentine-like eyes. She meets her gaze, eyes narrowing. <br/><br/>“I feel we got off on the wrong foot in our last encounter,” Azula’s voice is calm and dangerous, “have a seat, I<em> insist.</em>”</p><p>“Why are you here?” Suki asks. Suki eyes the chair, careful not to let her guard down. The princess starts to drum her fingers against the table, the sound of it echoing through the metal room.<br/><br/>“Do you think you’re in any position to be asking questions?” <br/><br/>Another pained scream can be heard muffled through the door, and Suki jumps at the sound. Her palms are sweaty, and her heartbeat is rapid. Her tension didn’t go unnoticed by Azula. <br/><br/>“Scared?” She smiles at her prisoner. Suki glares, and a heavy pause fills the room. Then Azula sighs, “I want to propose a temporary truce. No fighting, no torture, and nothing you say will be used against you. I just want to talk.”</p><p>Suki takes a cautious step forward. Oddly enough, the princess sounded...sincere in her intentions. Still, she wasn’t dumb enough to trust Azula on word alone. She had to stay on her guard.<br/><br/>“Why should I trust you?” Suki asks. Azula’s gaze is steady as she lifts up her hand. <br/><br/>“I swear on my honor,” Azula says. Suki pauses before she lowers her arms. The Fire Nation was a culture steeped in tradition -- she knew how seriously honor was taken...supposedly. At the very least, swearing by one’s honor wasn’t something one did lightly.</p><p>With a deep breath, Suki slowly takes a seat. The metal chair was immediately warm and uncomfortable. Azula nods.<br/><br/>“Much better.”</p><p>“How’s your lip?” Suki asks, an edge to her voice. Azula glares, “What? You said you wanted to talk.”</p><p>“Funny...” Azula’s voice is dry, “my father was not pleased when he found out what happened, you know. You're lucky to still be breathing.”<br/><br/>Suki grips at the edge of the table, “Is that a threat?” <br/><br/>“It’s a warning,” the princess angrily snaps, standing from her seat. Suki quickly reels back, springing to her feet, and moving her arms back into a defensive position.</p><p>They stare down, before Azula backs off. She sits in her chair, before muttering,  “I’m really sticking my neck out for you, you know. You should be grateful.”<br/><br/>“Oh...my apologies princess,” Suki’s tone is as sarcastic as she can make it, “thank you so much for not burning half my face off. Whatever would I do without you?” She dramatically lifts her arms into the air, before falling into a bow. All the while, she never turns her sharp gaze away from the Azula.</p><p>Another silence fills the room.<br/><br/>“Are you done?” Azula asks. Suki stands up, smirking. <br/><br/>“For now.” <br/><br/>As Suki retakes her seat, Azula reaches down to her belt and pulls up a black satchel. She places it on the table and opens it. <br/><br/>“What’s that?” Suki asks, skeptically. Azula grins. <br/><br/>“ <em> Interrogation tools </em>,” Azula replies. Suki watches closely as the princess pulls out a small canister of water, and swishes it around, “This is some of the freshest water the fire nation has to offer,” a cold smile crosses the princess’s face, “thirsty?”</p><p>There’s a lump in Suki’s throat. Boiling Rock was sweltering, and she was constantly sweating. Prisoners were given just enough water to keep them bordering on the edge of being dehydrated. The water they were given was warm and tasted of iron. </p><p>Suki suddenly became very aware of the dryness of her throat.<br/><br/>“If you think I’m drinking that…” <br/><br/>Azula cut her off, “You’re no use to me if you’re dead.” She takes off the cap of the canister, and takes a sip of the water, “See? It’s perfectly fine.” <br/><br/>Azula sets the canister down. Suki can’t shake the feeling that the firebender was baiting her -- like the water was a setup of some kind. Maybe she’d yank it away the moment Suki reached for it. Or maybe the princess was gauging her -- seeing how close she was to her breaking point.</p><p>Or maybe, just maybe, this was a genuine act of good faith.<br/><br/>Suki relents and reaches for the canister - hastily bringing it to her lips. The water is somehow cold, and Suki feels a physical relief she didn’t know she craved. Her facade drops, and a quiet whimper escapes her. <br/><br/>She stops - realizing she slipped. She sets the canister down and looked back at the Azula. She expected the princess to be smug, gleefully taking in the sight of Suki’s moment of weakness. Instead, the princess has her head turned away from the Kyoshi Warrior, almost as if she’s purposefully trying not to look.  She wonders...was the princess allowing her a moment of quiet dignity?</p><p>Suki lets out a breath and drinks more of the water. It’s perhaps the most refreshing water she’s ever had.<br/><br/>When she puts the canister down again, she sees the princess pulling something else out of the bag -- a deck of cards. <br/><br/>“You’re joking,” she says. Azula shakes her head and splits the deck. She slides one half over to Suki. <br/><br/>Suki eyes the cards, reaching out to take them. Her fingers touch the cards, but Azula doesn’t let the deck go. <br/><br/>“One last thing -- let’s make this a bit more interesting, shall we?” there is a certain playfulness to the princess’s voice. <br/><br/>“Do you wanna gamble over another bag of fire flakes?” Suki asks. Azula’s smile tells the Kyoshi Warrior that isn’t the case. <br/><br/>“Whenever you lose more than two rounds in a row...I need you to scream like I’m really hurting you.” <br/><br/>“What?” Suki exclaims, absolutely taken off guard. The Kyoshi Warrior clenches her fists, “I’m not about to participate in your power trip…” <br/><br/>“It’s not a power trip,” Azula cuts her off, her smile fading. She’s all business now, “As far as everyone knows, I’m here to torture you. So unless you want to be…” As if on cue, another muffled scream penetrates the room. <br/><br/>Suki sighs, and rolls her eyes. Azula made a good point, as much as Suki didn’t want to admit it. She still wasn’t convinced this wasn’t some weird mind-game...but it was quite possibly another one of Azula’s weird ways of looking out. <br/><br/>“Fine,” Suki says. She takes a deep breath, before shouting out a loud “No, please!” -- all the while glaring at the princess. Azula smirks, before she nods in approval, and lifts her hands from the cards. Suki takes her half deck. <br/><br/>Azula was an enigma. Of all the people in the Fire Nation she’d faced, Azula remained the one person she couldn’t figure out. While she certainly lived up to her reputation as “the heartless princess”, she was also the only person in the Fire Nation to show Suki anything resembling kindness. <br/><br/>The game starts.</p><p>--</p><p>
  <em> The sounds of her boots echo down the palace hallway, as Azula makes her way to her quarters. Everything has a fiery orange glow to it, as the sunset shines through the windows.  Ty Lee is next to her -- they hadn’t had much time to be together since returning to the Fire Nation, and since they’d left Boiling Rock earlier than planned, Azula had a free evening. </em>
</p><p><em> “Wow, the sunset is incredible tonight, don’tcha think?” </em> <em> <br/></em> <em> <br/></em> <em> Azula looks at her friend -- she knew what Ty Lee was trying to do. She was trying to distract her with small talk -- take her mind off of what had happened earlier. The princess found herself absentmindedly touching the newly-formed scab on her lip. </em></p><p>
  <em> “It’s alright,” Azula shrugs -- if she was being honest, she hated sunsets. It felt like her very spirit became weaker and weaker, as the sun set over the horizon. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> She was already feeling helpless as it was. She’d lost control over herself -- there was no other way to put it. If she was being honest, she didn’t quite remember the full interaction. Suki had punched her...and the next thing she knew, she had the Kyoshi Warrior pinned to a wall...ready to set her face ablaze.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Azula prided herself on how well she controlled her emotions. Emotions had no place in war, or the battlefield. It wasn’t as if she didn’t get angry, or sad, or frustrated...but she didn’t let that anger guide her actions. Losing control of one’s emotions was the quickest way to lose control of a situation. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Ty Lee places a hand on her shoulder, and Azula flinches. She hadn’t realized that she’d spaced out. </em>
</p><p><em> “Why don’t we train for a little bit?” Ty Lee suggests. Azula smiles at the idea -- maybe she could feel better if she could punch some things. </em> <em> <br/></em> <em> <br/></em> <em> The girls started to make their way towards the courtyard -- but they were stopped by a voice. </em></p><p>
  <em> “Daughter, a moment.” </em>
</p><p><em> Azula felt a chill go down her spine at the words, suddenly aware of her father’s presence. He was standing behind the two, towering over them...how had he gotten there so quickly? Azula and Ty Lee quickly turn around and bow. </em> <em> <br/></em> <em> <br/></em> <em> “I heard about what happened at the Boiling Rock,” The Fire Lord said, his booming voice brimming with disdain. </em> <em> <br/></em> <em> <br/></em> <em> “I took care of it,” she says, as calmly as possible. She looks next to her, seeing Ty Lee rise to her feet. Her gray eyes still looked down, desperate not to make eye-contact with the Fire Lord. She was as pale as a ghost. </em> <em> <br/></em> <em> <br/></em> <em> “You let live, even though she dared to raise a hand to a member of the royal family,” his look darkens, “She didn’t just insult your honor, but the honor of the entire royal family.” Her mouth feels dry. She resists clenching her fist -- not wanting to give him any indication that she was remotely nervous.  </em></p><p><em> “The last thing Boiling Rock needs is a martyr,” she speaks, “Besides, she has vital information about the upcoming invasion on the eclipse. We need her.” </em> <em> <br/></em> <em> <br/></em> <em> Ozai strokes his beard, as he considers his daughter’s words. He looks at her, with a look she’d only seen him give to Zuko.  Not that she could blame him, after all. She did fail her task. What had happened was an embarrassment.  </em></p><p><em> “Take her to Boiling Rock’s catacombs,” he instructed, after a long pause, “Get that information out of her, by any means necessary. Make her suffer.” </em> <em> <br/></em> <em> <br/></em> <em> Azula can only nod her head. </em> <em> <br/></em> <em> <br/></em> <em> “As you wish.” </em> <em> <br/></em> <em> <br/></em> <em> And with that, he walked away. Azula turned her attention back to Ty Lee...only to find that the acrobat looked scared. </em></p><p><br/>-- <br/><br/>Eleventh Draw: 4 and 3. Suki takes the cards. </p><p>Twelfth Draw: 2 and 5. Azula takes the cards.<br/><br/>Thirteenth draw: 10 and 9. Suki takes the cards. <br/><br/>They play in total complete silence. As much as Suki didn’t want to speak to the princess...she had to admit, this was starting to get awkward. It made her uneasy. <br/><br/>Fourteenth Draw: a 2 and a 2. However, neither girl exclaims the word “War” ...instead, they quietly draw their extra cards. <br/><br/>They flip the tops of their deck - a 4 and a jack. Azula takes the cards, and oddly enough, she doesn’t gloat. She doesn’t even crack a smile. It was weird. In their previous card matches, the princess never hesitated to brag about even the smallest of victories...she wasn’t exactly a graceful winner, after all. <br/><br/>“So...do you want me to scream or something?” Suki asks, putting an end to the silence. Azula blinks, looking up at her. Had she been lost in thought? The firebender takes a second before answering. <br/><br/>“Oh...yes, do that,” Azula says curtly. She straightens herself, slipping back to her normally steely demeanor. </p><p>Suki glances towards the prison door and shouts.</p><p>Fifteenth Draw: a queen and a 5. Suki takes the cards. <br/><br/>“So…” Suki says, “you said you wanted to talk...why?” <br/><br/>Azula nods her head, “Before he died, The Avatar was planning to invade the Fire Nation during an eclipse.” Suki clenches her fists...so the Fire Nation knew about that too? Azula grins, “judging by your reaction, I take it you knew about this plot.” <br/><br/>Suki feels a sinking feeling in her stomach...had she really been that easy to read?  She scowls. <br/><br/>“Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t,” she quickly says back, in an attempt to safe-face. <br/><br/>“Please,” Azula scoffs, “you’re easier to read than a children’s book.” <br/><br/>Suki gulps, and turns her gaze away -- had she really dropped her guard that much? Or was Azula really that perceptive. Either way, she knew she had to do better. </p><p>--<br/><br/><em> “They’ll be powerless,” Sokka excitedly exclaimed. His eyes were lit up...it was weird. He had seemed so sad, just minutes before. But now...he seemed hopeful. She liked seeing him this way, “I don’t have specifics yet...but I have this idea for a machine...like a tank that goes underwater!” </em> <em> <br/></em> <em> <br/></em> <em> Suki couldn’t stop herself from laughing, “A tank that goes underwater? How would you even build something like that?” </em> <em> <br/></em> <em> <br/></em> <em> “I know a guy,” he bragged, an adorably smug look crossing his face. What she wouldn’t give to kiss him...however, he’d made it clear earlier that he didn’t want to. Suki didn’t want to push his limits. </em> <em> <br/></em> <em> <br/></em> <em> Besides, just his company was enough for her. </em> <em> <br/></em> <em> <br/></em> <em> “Just promise me one thing,” she said. Sokka turned to her. </em> <em> <br/></em> <em> <br/></em> <em> “Anything,” he replied, and Suki feels her heart skip a beat. </em> <em> <br/></em> <em> <br/></em> <em> “When the invasion happens...you’ll let me fight by your side.” </em> <em> <br/></em> <em> <br/></em> <em> Sokka’s grin grows from ear to ear. </em> <em> <br/></em> <em> <br/></em> <em> “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” </em></p><p>
  <em> -- </em>
</p><p>Sixteenth Draw: an Ace and a 2 -- Suki takes the cards.</p><p>“Why does it even matter?” Suki asks as she adds the winning cards back to her deck, “Didn’t you murder the Avatar and conquer the Earth Kingdom?” The Kyoshi Warrior pauses...that was a good point she just made. The war was basically over. Who was left to invade the Fire Nation? A smile crosses Suki’s lips, “Unless…”</p><p>“One can never be too careful,” Azula quickly responds, “besides, we have reason to believe that some of the Avatar’s remaining allies may try something.”<br/><br/>The Avatar’s remaining allies. Suki felt her heart jump...could that have meant that Sokka, Katara, and Toph had gotten away?  She needed to know...if for no other reason, then her own peace of mind</p><p>“Remaining allies?” she questions...if she plays her cards right, she might be able to find out.<br/><br/>Azula squints at her, “You’re not the one asking the questions here.” <br/><br/>“I thought we were only talking?” <br/><br/>“We are.”</p><p>Seventeenth Draw: 3 and 7 -- Azula takes the cards.<br/><br/>“You want information, right?” Suki asks, “How am I supposed to give you information if I don’t know who’s <em> alive </em> ?” The Kyoshi Warrior realizes she’s entering some dangerous territory here. She wasn’t actually going to give Azula any information...still, she had to be careful about what she said next. <br/><br/>Azula grins, “Very well. The Avatar’s traveling companions escaped. An earthbender girl, the waterbending girl...Katara, I think is her name. And a boy from the Southern Water Tribe.”</p><p>They were okay. Suki feels water dwell up in her eyes...<em>thank the spirits</em>, they were okay! Her face feels hot, and her throat feels dry again… <br/><br/>She looks to the canister of water, and quickly reaches for it. She quickly drinks from it, feeling tears drip down her cheeks as the liquid goes down her throat.</p><p><em> Dammit, </em> she thinks, as she realizes she’s crying in front of Azula. She sets down the canteen, but the tears don’t stop flowing. <br/><br/>Sokka and Katara and Toph were <em>safe. </em>And knowing them, they probably were still planning on invading, those idiots. The chances they had at succeeding were slim, but…</p><p>Without meaning too, she starts to laugh. She’s still crying, but she’s laughing too. Azula raises her eyebrow and...almost looks unsettled. <br/><br/>“What?” Azula cautiously asks </p><p>“You’re going to lose,” Suki says, still giggling, still sobbing.</p><p>“And why do you say that?” Azula responds, her eyes were now piercing. Once again, Suki wipes her eyes, and once again, she meets the princess’s steely gaze, <br/><br/>“Because Sokka, and Katara, and Toph are the bravest warriors the world has ever known...they’re unstoppable.” <br/><br/>And she meant every word of it. <br/><br/>Azula’s grin grows wide as if she’d just won something“Sokka, Katara, and Toph…huh?” Her face is calculating...then out of the blue, she laughs, “Wait...isn't your <em>boyfriend </em>named Sokka? The Avatar’s dopey Water Tribe friend is your boyfriend?”</p><p>“Why do you care?” Suki asks, now wiping her eyes.</p><p>Azula shrugs, “He just seems beneath you is all.” </p><p>Eighteenth Draw: 9 and 3 -- Suki takes the cards.</p><p>“How’s Ty Lee?” The Kyoshi Warrior asks. Her voice was still a bit shaky, but she had mostly composed herself.</p><p>“She’s fine,” Azula glances away, that small blush forming on her cheeks, “...we kissed.” It was the most vulnerable she’d ever seen the princess. At that moment, Azula was just a kid with a crush.<br/><br/>“Was it everything you ever dreamed of?” <br/><br/>“I’m not dignifying that with a response,” Azula snaps back. Still, Suki saw the way her golden eyes lit up. There was an innocent excitement there.<br/><br/>It was time to continue their game.</p><p>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hello friends! First off, thank you so much for all the love you've given this little story. It's so encouraging to see, I'm truly grateful. Secondly, thank you so much for being patient with this update! It was a long time coming, so I hope it was worth the wait.</p><p>((Also...while doing a total word count, I found out that I wrote Azula's name 69 times this chapter. This will truly go down on my list of greatest writing accomplishments. ))</p><p>As always, thank you for reading!</p>
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